1. Technical Field
The invention relates to pneumatic tires and more particularly to a pneumatic tire for both off-road and on-road usage having sidewall projections which deflect debris away from the sidewalls to prevent sidewall penetration and which provides increased traction for soft or compact soil conditions when used off-road.
2. Background Information
Numerous pneumatic tires have been designed with aggressive tread patterns for use both on-road and off-road which have various sidewall projections to prevent the accumulation of dirt and debris in the sidewalls when used off-road. These projections also reduce sidewall penetration and provide increased traction in various soil conditions such as mud, sand, gravel, etc. and in extremely rocky conditions.
Many of these prior tread patterns such as shown in FIG. 15, are provided with various sidewall projections to reduce sidewall penetration by foreign objects and to increase traction for the various soil conditions in which the tire can encounter. Some examples of such tires are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,946,209, 3,247,880, 3,421,566, 3,482,616, 3,789,900, 3,818,964, 4,267,872, 4,723,585, 4,915,150, 4,982,773, 5,188,683, 5,361,814, and 6,102,094.
Although these tires and their tread patterns may provide increased traction in soft sand and similar soil, some of them are limited almost entirely to off-road use and would not perform satisfactorily on a paved road. Likewise, some of these tires do not provide the desired traction, especially in extremely deep ruts, to enable the tire to dig itself out from extremely soft and muddy conditions while providing the desired amount of debris deflection and reduced accumulation of mud and rocks in the sidewall area, which area is more susceptible to puncture than the ground engaging tread area of the tire.
Thus, the need exists for a pneumatic tire having an aggressive tread pattern including sidewall projections for use both on-road and off-road, and which provides increased traction in soft or compacted soil conditions.